Cancer guidelines from NICE aim to reduce variation in referral times

New guidelines on referring patients with suspected cancer in England and Wales have been launched by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). Professor Peter Littlejohns, clinical and public health director at NICE and executive lead for the guidelines, said that the document “will help to ensure that people wherever they live in England and Wales, who present in primary care with suspected cancer will benefit from a consistent and coherent approach which is based on the best available evidence.”

The guidelines update previous recommendations from the Department of Health published in 2000, taking account of new evidence from research and from audits. They make recommendations on the diagnostic and referral process for the …